Baby Bath Safety

A common site for serious injuries involving children is the bathroom, and specifically the bath. This article looks at the precautions you can take to ensure bath safety for your baby or child.

One of the most common bathroom injuries to babies and children is scalding, caused by hot water. This is a serious, potentially life-threatening injury.  What can you do to make sure of bath safety and prevent your baby or child becoming a victim? If you are running a bath for a child put cold water in first, in case of accidental splashes or the child falling in.  Carefully check the temperature before you put the baby or child in the bath; ideally it should be between 35C and 37C.  You can buy a thermometer or heat sensor for this, or you can use the time-honored method of dipping your own elbow in the water to gauge the temperature.  If you use a water heater don’t set the thermostat above 120 degrees.  One of the major bath safety rules is never leave your child unattended while filling the bath. Running water is irresistible to children.

Something often overlooked when doing a bath safety check is the hot water spout, which can give a child a nasty burn if it is touched or turned on.  Prevent this by making sure the child, while in the bath, can’t get a hold of it.  When my daughter was small I used to wrap a face cloth around the faucet, but nowadays you can buy safety faucet covers in fun designs to do the job.

Faucet covers have a dual bath safety purpose; guarding against bumps.  A faucet is a hard thing for a child to knock against, as is the bath itself.  There is a range of bath safety products designed to help prevent slips, including textured mats, padded guards and safety handles.  Don’t rely solely on these products; use common sense as well.  Keep the soap at the side, not on the bottom of the bath.  Take care with baby oil - I almost dropped my baby the first time I used it, she was so slippery.  Always help a child in and out of the bath.

The most important bath safety issue to remember is to never leave your child unattended in the bath, even for a few seconds. A baby can quickly drown in less than two inches of water. So, if the doorbell or the telephone rings, ignore it. It’s just not worth the risk.

Although this article is primarily about bath safety, it’s worth mentioning general safety around water in  the home. The same safety rules apply if you are using a sink to bath your baby or child, with the addition of being extra-careful about falls out of the sink which, because of the height, can cause serious injury. Showers, like baths, can be fitted with safety rails and non-slip mats. Keep a latch on the toilet to prevent inquisitive toddlers coming to harm. Similarly, use covers for hot tubs and pools when not in use.
 
It doesn’t cost very much to put bath safety devices in your bathroom so don’t stint on them. The best injury prevention, though, is awareness of bath safety. Be careful in the bathroom. And to reiterate, never, ever leave your baby or small child unattended in the bath. It only takes moments for tragedy to strike.